understanding music glossary

8/12/2019 Understanding Music Glossary

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UNDERSTANDING MUSIC

GLOSSARY

Alphabetical list AZ

N5 Structural A B Two-part form. See Binary .

N4 Structural A B A Three-part form, where the first part is repeated at the

end. See Ternary.

N5 Timbre A cappella Unaccompanied choral singing.

N4 Rhythmic Accelerando Getting gradually faster. Compare

Rallentando.

N3 Rhythmic Accented Notes which sound louder than others.

H Melodic Acciaccatura An ornament which sounds like a crushed note

played very quickly on the beat or just before it.

N3 Structural Accompanied Other instrument(s) or voice(s) supports the main

melody. Compare Unaccompanied.

N3 Timbre Accordion An instrument with a keyboard in which sounds

are produced by squeezing bellows with the arms. Popularly

called a squeezebox. See Scottish dance band.

N3 Timbre Acoustic guitar A guitar which does not require an electric

amplifier to produce sound. Compare Electric guitar.

N3 Rhythmic Adagio Italian term meaning slow and leisurely

H Harmonic Added 6th Root, 3rd and 5th of a chord with the 6th added

(e.g. CEGA). This chord is used frequently in jazz and

popular music.

N4 Timbre African Music Music which uses voices and percussion

instruments, drums, shakers and bells.

AH Styles/Forms Air English for Aria . Song or simple melody, sometimes the

title of a movement of a suite.

N5 Structural Alberti bass Broken chords played by the left hand outlining

harmonies whilst the right hand plays the melody. Classical

composers such as Haydn and Mozart used this technique

extensively in their piano music.


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N3 Rhythmic Allegro - Italian term meaning Fast

N4 Timbre Alto (voice) The lowest female voice. See Soprano, Tenor,

Bass.

N4 Rhythmic Anacrusis The notes which appear before the first strong

beat of a musical phrase. It sounds as an upbeat.

N4 Rhythmic Andante Italian term meaning at a medium walking pace.

N3 Melodic Answer A reply to a musical question. See Question.

AH Styles/Forms Anthem Short sacred choral piece sung in English.

Sometimes sung by a choir unaccompanied (A cappella) and

sometimes accompanied by organ and featuring solo parts.The anthem is the Protestant equivalent of the Motet.

AH Melodic Appoggiatura An ornament which sounds like a leaning

note. It takes half the value of the main note which follows

it, or two-thirds if the main note is dotted.

N5 Timbre Arco Instruction given to string players to use a bow. This

term might be given to players after a passage using

Pizzicato.

N5 Styles/Forms Aria A song in an opera, oratorio or cantata with orchestralaccompaniment.

N4 Structural Arpeggio Notes of a chord played one after the other

spread out.

N3 Melodic Ascending Notes which rise in pitch. CompareDescending.

N5 Melodic Atonal No feeling of key, major or minor. Very dissonant.

A feature of some 20th-century music.

H Rhythmic Augmentation An increase in the length of notes. The music

will sound slower when imitated or repeated.

N4 Timbre Backing vocals Singers who support the lead singer(s),

usually by singing in harmony in the background. See Lead

vocals.

N3 Timbre Bagpipes Traditional Scottish reed instrument consisting of a

melody pipe accompanied by one or more drone pipes

attached to a bag through which air is past by mouth or

bellows.

AH Styles/Forms Ballett A type of madrigal in strophic form which was

originally danced to. It features a fa-la-la refrain at the end

of each verse. See Madrigaland Strophic.


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N5 Timbre Baritone A male voice whose range lies between that of Bass

and Tenor. See Tenor, Bass , Soprano, Mezzo sopranoand

Alto .

N4 Styles/Forms Baroque Music written between 16001750 approximately.

Bach and Handel were two of the composers from thisperiod. (For an extended definition, see Basso continuo ,

Concerto grosso,Ritornello , Polyphony.)

N4 Timbre Bass (voice) The lowest male voice. See Soprano, Alto ,

Tenor.

N4 Timbre Bass Guitar A guitar that has 4 or 5 strings and is the lowest

in pitch of any guitar. It is usually amplified.

H Structural Basso continuo Sometimes referred to as Continuo. In the

Baroque period, the continuo part consisted of a bass line(basso continuo) played by cello, bass, viola da gamba or

bassoon. In addition the harpsichord, organ or lute player

was expected to fill in harmonies built on that bass line.

Sometimes figures were written under the bass line

indicating the chords the composer would like played. This

was called figured bass.

N3 Rhythmic Beat The basic pulse you hear in music. The pulse may be in

groups of 2, 3 or 4 with a stress on the first beat in each

group.

N5 Timbre Bending Changing the pitch of a note, e.g. by pushing a

guitar string upwards.

N5 Structural Binary A B. A form in which the music is made up of two

different sections labelled A and B. Each section may be

repeated. See Ternary.

N3 Timbre Blowing The sound is produced by blowing into or across the

mouthpiece of the instrument, e.g. brass, woodwind or

recorders.

N3 Styles/Forms Blues Blues music is often in 4/4 time and is mostly

patterned on a 12-bar structure and on a scale where some of

the notes are flattened. See Blues scale.

Melodic Blues scale In the key of C, the main blues scale uses the

notes C, Eb, F, Gb, G, Bb, C.

N5 Styles/Forms Bothy ballad A folk song, usually with many verses, from

north-east Scotland. It tells a story of rural or farming life.

N3 Timbre Bowing The sound is produced by drawing the bow across

the strings of a stringed instrument, e.g. violin or cello.

Compare Plucking.


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N3 Timbre Brass A family of instruments made from metal with a

mouthpiece, e.g. trumpet, French horn, trombone and tuba.

N4 Timbre Brass band A band of brass instruments and percussion.

(Extended definition A brass band uses a separate family

of instruments, e.g. cornet, flugal horn, tenor horn andbaritone.)

N4 Melodic Broken chord The notes of a chord are played separately.

N5/H Harmonic Cadence See Perfect cadence, Imperfect cadence, Plagal

cadenceand Interrupted cadence.

N4 Structural Cadenza A passage of music which allows soloists to display

their technical ability in singing or playing an instrument.

Performers used to improvise cadenzas themselves buteventually composers began to write them into the score. In

a concerto the end of the cadenza is marked by a dominant

7th chord. See Concerto.

N4 Structural Canon Strict imitation. After one part starts to play or sing a

melody, another part enters shortly afterwards, with exactly

the same melody. See Round.

N5 Timbre Celtic Rock A style of music that mixes Celtic folk music and

rock together.

H Timbre Chamber music Music written for a small instrumental

ensemble with one player to a part.

N4 Harmonic Change of key A move from one key to another key.

N3 Timbre Choir A group of singers who perform together.

N3 Harmonic Chord Two or more notes sounding together. See Harmonic .

N3 Harmonic Chord change A move from one chord to a different chord.

N4 Harmonic Chord progressions using I, IV, V in a major key A series

of related chords.

N5 Harmonic Chord progressions using I, IV, V, VI Different

progressions using the chords built on the 1st, 4th, 5th and

6th notes of a major or minor scale.

N4/5 Styles/Forms Chorus 1. A group of singers with several people to each

part.

2. The music written for these singers.

3. The refrain between the verses of a song.


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N5 Melodic Chromatic scale A stepwise series of notes built up entirely

of semitones, e.g. C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B . See

Major scaleandMinor scale.

N5 Styles/Forms Classical 1750 to 1810 approximately. The era of Haydn,

Mozart and Beethoven. (For an extended definition, seeSymphony, Concerto, Sonata form, Minuet and trio , and

Alberti bass.)

N5 Structural Cluster A group of notes played on a keyboard instrument

with the palm of the hand or even with the forearm. Used in

some 20th-century music.

N5 Structural Coda A passage at the end of a piece of music which rounds

it off effectively.

H Timbre Coloratura Term for high, florid, vocal singing involving

scales, runs and ornaments. Sometimes these passages were

written down, but often were extemporised by the performer.

N4 Rhythmic Compound time The beat subdivides into groups of 3. See

Simple time.

N5 Rhythmic Compound time groupings The beat is a dotted note which

divides into three, e.g. 6/8 = two dotted crotchet beats in a

bar and each beat can be divided into three quavers. See

Simple time.

N5 Timbre Con sordino The Italian term for with a mute. SeeMuted.

H Timbre Concertino In a Concerto grossothis is the name given to

the small/solo group of instrumentalists as opposed to the

main group which is called Ripieno.

N4 Styles/Forms Concerto Work for solo instrument and orchestra, e.g. a flute

concerto is written for solo flute and orchestra. It is

normally in three movements.

H Styles/Forms Concerto grosso A type of concerto in which a group of

soloists (concertino) is combined and contrasted with a

larger group (ripieno). SeeRipienoand Concertino.

AH Timbre Consort A small group of instruments of the same family

playing together, e.g. a consort of viols. The term usually

applies to music from the Renaissance period.

H Structural Continuo See Basso continuo.

N5 Structural Contrapuntal Texture in which each of two or more parts

has independent melodic interest; similar in meaning to

Polyphonic.


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N5 Structural Contrary motion Two parts which move in opposite

directions, e.g. as one part ascends the other part descends.

N5 Structural Countermelody A melody played against the main melody.

AH Structural Countersubject In a Fugue, after the subject or answer isplayed, the continuation on that same instrument or voice is

called the countersubject.

AH Timbre Countertenor A male adult voice whose range is higher than

a tenors. The strong and pure tone is produced by

resonances mainly in the head. This type of voice was very

popular until the end of the 18th century. See Tenor.

N3 Timbre Crescendo Getting gradually louder. Compare Diminuendo.

N5 Rhythmic Cross rhythms 1. Term used to describe the effect of two

notes being played against three (e.g. in piano music it might

be groups of two quavers in the right hand and groups of

triplets in the left hand).

2. The term is also used to describe the effect that occurs

when the accents in a piece of music are different from those

suggested by the time signature (e.g. the division of 4/4 time

into 3+3+2 quavers).

H Styles/Forms Da capo aria An aria in Ternaryform (A B A), found in

opera and oratorio in the 17th and 18th centuries. The thirdsection is not written out but the instruction Da capo (from

the beginning) is given instead. The repeat of the A section

was performed with the solo ornamented.

N5 Structural Descant Another melody above the main tune, mainly in

vocal music.

N3 Melodic Descending Notes which fall in pitch.

H Harmonic Diminished 7th A chord consisting of three intervals of aminor 3rd built one on top of the other, the interval between

the lower and top note being a diminished 7th. This can be a

very useful chord for modulation to distant keys.

H Harmonic Diminished chord A chord consisting to two intervals of a

minor 3rd built on top of each other.

N3 Timbre Diminuendo Getting gradually quieter. Compare Crescendo.

H Rhythmic Diminution A decrease in the length of notes. The music

will sound faster when imitated or repeated.

N3 Harmonic Discord A chord in which certain notes clash.

N4 Timbre Distortion An electronic effect used in rock music to colour

the sound of an electric guitar.


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H Harmonic Dominant 7th Chord built on the dominant (5th) note of a

key which adds the 7th note above its root. It is sometimes

written as V7 or, in the key of C major, G7(GBDF).

N4 Rhythmic Dotted rhythm A short note following a longer one.

N4 Harmonic Drone 1. One note or notes held on or repeated in the bass.

Often called a drone bass.

2. The low-pitched pipes of a bagpipe which accompany a

melody.

N3 Rhythmic Drum fill A rhythmic decoration played on a drum kit.

N3 Timbre Drumkit A set of drums and cymbals often used in rock

music and pop music. SeeRock band, Pop group.

N3 Timbre Electric guitar A guitar which requires an electric amplifier

to produce sound. See Acoustic guitar.

N5 Structural Episode A section of music linking two appearances of the

same material. In Fuguean episode can be used as a

modulating link between entries of the subject and is

frequently based on fragments from the subject or

Countersubject.

H Structural Exposition The first section of a movement in Sonata form(Exposition Development Recapitulation) or the first

section of a Fuguewhere each voice has played or sung at

least one entry of subject or answer.

N3 Rhythmic Faster The speed increases. Compare Slower.

N3 Timbre Fiddle Another name for the violin, used in Scottish music.

N5 Timbre Flutter tonguing A method of tonguing in which the player

rolls the letter r. It is used by wind players and isparticularly effective for flute and brass.

N3 Timbre Folk group A group of singers and instrumentalists who

perform traditional music from a particular country, e.g.

Scotland and Ireland. See Folk instruments.

N3 Timbre Folk instruments Any instruments used in folk music. In

Scotland this might include fiddle, guitar, flute, penny

whistle, accordion, pipes and clarsach.

AH Styles/Forms Fugue A contrapuntal piece based on a theme (subject)

announced in one voice part alone, then imitated by other

voices in close succession. SeeEpisode, Tonal answer, Real

answer, Subject, Expositionand Stretto.


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N5 Styles/Forms Gaelic psalm Slow, unaccompanied Gaelic church tune,

heard mostly in the Western Isles of Scotland.

AH Styles/Forms Galliard A Renaissance court dance which follows the

Pavan. A galliard is quick and lively with three beats in a

bar.

N5 Timbre Glissando Sliding from one note to another, taking in all the

notes in between where possible.

N5 Style Gospel Lively Christian music with strong rhythms and call

and response structure, derived from Blues, Spirituals and

Jazz.

N5 Melodic Grace note A type of ornament played as a quick note before

the main note of a melody. Sometimes there may be a groupof grace notes at the start of a Phrase.

N5 Structural Ground bass A theme in the bass which is repeated many

times while the upper parts are varied.

H Melodic Harmonic minor Scale which shares the same key signature

as its Relative majorbut raises the 7th note by a semitone.

H Timbre Harmonics The high eerie sounds produced on a bowed

string instrument by lightly touching the string at certain

points. On a guitar these will sound bell-like.

N3 Structural Harmony The sound of two or more notes made at the same

time. See Chord.

N4 Timbre Harpischord A keyboard instrument from the Baroque era,

which used a plucking motion to create its sound. No

dynamic variation was possible.

AH Rhythmic Hemiola A rhythmic device giving the impression of a piece

of music changing from duple (2) to triple (3) time, or viceversa. Sometimes placed at the end of a piece to act as a kind

of Rallentando.

N5 Structural Homophony Texture where you hear melody with

accompaniment or where all the parts move together

rhythmically. See Harmonyand Polyphony.

N4 Melodic Imitation When the melody is immediately copied in another

part. It need not be an exact copy.

N5 Harmonic Imperfect cadence A cadence consists of two chords at the

end of a phrase. In an imperfect cadence the second chord is

the dominant V creating an unfinished effect. In the key of C

the second chord of an imperfect cadence would be the chord

of G. See Perfect cadence, Plagal cadence, and Interrupted

cadence.


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H Styles/Forms Impressionist A term borrowed from painting in which brief

musical ideas merge and change to create a rather blurred

and vague outline. Debussy was an important composer of

this style. (Extended definition Texture and timbral

exploration were also important features, including use ofwhole tone and pentatonic scales, parallel chords and

unresolved discords.)

N3 Styles/Forms Improvisation The performer creates music during the actual

performance. There may be suggested chords as a guide.

Improvisation is an important feature of jazz.

N5 Styles/Forms Indian Music from India which uses instruments such as the

sitar and tabla.

H Harmonic Interrupted cadence A cadence is formed by two chords at

the end of a phrase. An interrupted cadence is usually

formed by the chords VVI. (In the key of C major, chords

G to A minor.) This is known also as the surprise cadence as

the listener may be expecting VI which has a more final

sound. See Plagalcadence, Perfect cadenceand Imperfect

cadence.

H Melodic Interval The distance in pitch between two

Harmonic notes, e.g. CF is a 4th.

AH Structural Inversion 1. When a musical shape is mirrored.

2. An inverted chord is formed when a note other than the

root is in the bass.

3. In serial composition the tone row may be used in

inverted form. This appears as a mirror image (in contrary

motion). The Tone rowmay also be used in retrograde

inversion.

N5 Structural Inverted pedal A pedal point which sounds in an upper part

instead of in the bass. See Pedal.

H Rhythmic Irregular metres Often in modern or rhythmically based

ethnic music, groupings of notes change, but the underlying

pulse remains constant. Groupings of two and three produce

irregular accents and metres. (Extended definition

Sometimes composers in the 20th century try to destroy the

feeling of a regular down beat by changing the time

signature frequently. Stravinsky often used this technique,

particularly in The Rite of Spring.)

N3 Styles/Forms Jazz At first this was music created by black Americans in

the early 20th century. See Jazz group. (For an extended

definition, see also Blues, Ragtime,Swing, Scat singing,

Dixieland, Boogie-woogie, Walking bass, Syncopation,

Improvisation.)


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H Styles/Forms Jazz funk A combination of jazz Improvisationand the

amplified instruments and character ofRock.

N4 Styles/Forms Jig A fast dance in compound time usually with two or four

beats in a bar.

N3 Timbre Keyboard Instrument whose sounds are made by pressing

down keys, e.g. piano, organ, electronic keyboard and

synthesiser.

N3 Styles/Forms Latin American Dance music from South America.

Percussion instruments provide lively off-beat dance

rhythms.

N3 Melodic Leaping Moving up or down between notes which are not

next to each other. Compare Stepwise.

N3 Timbre Legato The notes are played or sung smoothly. Compare

Staccato.

H Styles/Forms Lied This term (the German word for song) refers

specifically in the Romantic era to works for solo voice and

piano. The text is in German, the structure of the verses is

strophic and through composed. An important feature is that

voice and piano are equally important. See Strophic,

Through composed, Romantic .

N3 Timbre Louder The sound level increases. Compare Softer.

AH Styles/Forms Madrigal In theRenaissanceera, this was a non-religious

work, polyphonic in style, using imitation. Features of

madrigal include text in English, use of word painting,

through-composed music, usually sung A cappella . See

Ballettand Word painting. (Extended definition. An ayre

(air or song) is a madrigal which can be performed by a solo

voice with lute accompaniment; by solo voice accompanied

by other instruments; or with all parts sung by voices with orwithout accompaniment.)

N4 Harmonic Major The music sounds in a major key. See Tonality.

N4 Melodic Major scale A stepwise series of notes built on an order of

tones and semitones (e.g. C D E F G B C). See Minor scale

and Chromatic scale.

N3 Styles/Forms March Music with a strong steady pulse with two or four

beats in a bar.

H Styles/Forms Mass In theRenaissance era the Mass was a sacred choral

work using the five main sections of the Roman Catholic

church liturgy. Features of the Mass include Latin text and

polyphonic texture, and it is usually sung a capella.

Originally used in church worship, but in later years the


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Mass became a large-scale work for chorus, soloists and

orchestra. SeeAnthem, Motet, PolyphonyandA cappella.

N5 Melodic Melismatic word setting Vocal music in which several notes

are sung to one syllable. Compare Syllabic word setting.

H Melodic Melodic minor Scale which shares the same key signature as

its Relative majorbut raises the 6th and 7th notes by a

semitone ascending, and similarly lowers them descending.

N5 Timbre Mezzo soprano A female singer whose voice range lies

between that of a soprano and an alto. See Soprano,Alto ,

Tenor, Baritone andBass.

N4 Structural Middle eight In popular music, a section which provides a

contrast to the opening section. It is often eight bars long.

N5 Styles/Forms Minimalist A development in the second half of the 20th

century based on simple rhythmic and melodic figures which

are constantly repeated with very slight changes each time.

N4 Harmonic Minor The music sounds in a minor key. See Tonality.

N4 Melodic Minor scale A stepwise series of notes built on an order of

tones and semitones (e.g. C D Eb F G Ab B C ). See Major

scaleand Chromatic scale.

H Harmonic Modal Term used to describe music based on a mode, a type

of early scale used before major and minor keys were

developed. Modes are used in jazz and pop music for

improvising.

H Melodic Mode Usually refers to any of the early scales called modes,

e.g. Dorian mode. It can also be used more generally as a

reference to major mode (in a major key) or minor mode (in

a minor key). See Modal.

N5 Rhythm/Tempo Moderato Italian term meaning at a moderate speed.

N5 Melodic Modulating Changing key. See Relative majorand Relative

minor.

N5 Harmonic Modulation A change of key.

H Harmonic Modulation to relative major A change from minor to major

key with the same key signature found 3 semitones higher,

e.g. D minor to F major. SeeModulation .

H Harmonic Modulation to relative minor A change from major to minor

key with the same key signature found 3 semitones lower,

e.g. C major to A minor. SeeModulation .


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N3 Timbre Orchestra A large group of strings, woodwind, brass and

percussion instruments. See Strings, Woodwind, Brass,

Percussion.

N3 Timbre Organ A keyboard instrument usually found in churches. It

usually has more than one Keyboard.

N4 Melodic Ornament An ornament decorates a melody by adding short,

extra notes.

N3 Structural Ostinato A short musical pattern repeated many times. See

RepetitionandRiff.

N4 Timbre Pan pipes Pipes which are graded in size and are bound

together. The sound is made by blowing across the top of

the pipes. One of the oldest wind instruments from SouthAmerica.

H Styles/Forms Passacaglia Variations over a ground bass. See Ground

bass.

Harmonic Passing note A note which moves between two notes of the

same chord which are a 3rd apart.

N3 Rhythmic Pause The musical flow is held up by a long note or silence.

AH Styles/Forms Pavan Also pavane. A Renaissance court dance linked withthe Galliard. The pavan is slow and stately with two beats

in the bar.

N4 Structural Pedal Short for pedal point. A note which is held on or is

repeated continuously in the bass beneath changing

harmonies. Very often the note held on will be the tonic

(tonic pedal) or the dominant (dominant pedal). SeeInverted

pedal.

N4 Melodic Pentatonic scale Any five-note scale. In practice, the mostcommon one is that on which folk music is based,

particularly Scottish and Celtic. Auld Lang Syne is

composed on a pentatonic scale. The five notes could be C

D E G A.

N3 Timbre Percussion Instruments which are hit, shaken or scraped.

Pitched percussion can produce different notes, e.g.

glockenspiel and xylophone. Unpitched percussion has no

fixed pitch, e.g. cymbals and side drum.

N5 Harmonic Perfect cadence A cadence consists of two chords at the end

of a phrase. A perfect cadence is the dominant to tonic

chords (VI). In the key of C major, chords GC. See

Imperfect cadence, Plagal cadenceand Interrupted cadence.

Melodic Phrase A short musical idea which is part of a melody.


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N3 Timbre Piano A keyboard instrument which produces sounds by

hammers striking strings.

N5 Styles/Forms Pibroch The classical music of the Highland bagpipe, always

in Theme and variationform.

N5 Timbre Pizzicato Abbreviation pizz. An instruction given to string

players to pluck the strings instead of using the bow. See Col

legnoand Arco.

H Harmonic Plagal cadence A cadence is formed by two chords at the end

of a phrase. A plagal cadence is the subdominant to tonic

chords ( IVI ). In the key of C major, chords F to C. See

Interrupted cadence, Perfect cadenceand Imperfect cadence.

H Styles/Forms Plainchant Also known as Plainsong and Gregorian chant.

Unaccompanied melody set to words of the Roman Catholic

liturgy, such as the Mass. Plainchants are modal and have no

regular metre. They follow the rhythm of the Latin words.

N3 Timbre Plucking Sound made when you pluck the strings of a

stringed instrument with a finger or fingers. Compare

Bowing.

N5 Structural Polyphony Texture which consists of two or more melodic

lines, possibly of equal importance and which weaveindependently of each other.

N3 Styles/Forms Pop A style of popular music. See Pop group.

N3 Timbre Pop group A group of musicians who play or sing in the

popular style of the day. The group might include guitars,

drum kit, keyboards, and vocals. See Pop.

N3 Rhythmic Pulse The basic beat in music. The pulse may be in groupsof 2, 3 or 4 with a stress on the first in each group. See

Beat.

N3 Melodic Question An opening phrase. It may be followed by an

answer. See Answer.

N4 Styles/Forms Ragtime It features a strongly syncopated melody against a

steady vamped accompaniment. Often played on piano, e.g.

Scott Joplin rags. See Vamp.

N4 Rhythmic Rallentando Getting gradually slower. Compare

Accelerando.

N4 Style Rapping a popular style of song writing which began in

70/80s in which artists speak in rhythm and rhyme.


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H Styles/Forms Recitative A type of vocal writing where the music follows

the rhythm of speech. It is used in operas and oratorios to

move the story or plot on.

N4 Timbre Recorder There are four main types of this wind instrument:

descant, treble, tenor and bass.

N3 Styles/Forms Reel A Scottish dance in simple time with two or four beats

in a bar, which is played quite fast. Each beat divides

equally into groups of two.

N4 Style Reggae a popular style of music originating in Jamaica

featuring a strongly accented off beat.

H Melodic Relative major A change from minor to major key with thesame key signature found 3 semitones higher, e.g. D minor

to F major. SeeModulation.

H Melodic Relative minor A change from major to minor key with the

same key signature found 3 semitones lower, e.g. C major to

A minor. See Modulation .

H/AH Styles/Forms Renaissance Rebirth of interest in classical times of the

distant past. In music, the word refers to the style of music

from the period from about 1450 to 1600, i.e. between

Medieval and Baroque.

N3 Melodic Repetition A musical idea is heard more than

Rhythmic once. See OstinatoandRiff.

Structural

N5 Timbre Reverb An electronic effect which can give the impression of

different hall acoustics, e.g. as if the performance is in a

cathedral.

N3 Structural Riff A repeated phrase usually found in jazz and popular

music. See Repetitionand Ostinato.

H Timbre Ripieno In Baroque music, especially Concerto grosso, the

term means the main group of instrumentalists as opposed to

the small/solo group which was known as the Concertino .

N5 Rhythm/Tempo Ritardando - Italian term meaning to gradually slow down.

H Structural Ritornello Little return. A 17th-century term for a brief

introduction or interlude in a vocal composition, or for a

brief instrumental passage between scenes in a 17th-century

opera. In a Concerto grosso, the ritornello is the main theme

played by the Ripieno group (the orchestra) and sometimes

by Concertino (the soloists). The ritornello may return

frequently throughout the movement, similar to a Rondo.


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N3 Styles/Forms Rock A style of popular music with a heavy driving beat.

See Rock band.

N3 Timbre Rock band A group playing a type of music with a heavy

driving beat. Instruments might include electric guitars,maybe with distortion, bass guitar, drum kit. SeeRock.

N3 Style Rock n Roll - a type of popular dance music originating in the

1950s, characterized by a heavy beat and simple melodies. Rock

and roll was an amalgam of black rhythm and blues and white

country music, usually based around a twelve-bar structure and aninstrumentation of guitar, double bass, and drums

N5 Timbre Rolls A very fast repetition of a note on a percussion

instrument, e.g. on a snare drum or timpani.

N4 Styles/Forms Romantic Music written between 18101900 approximately.

(For an extended definition, seeNationalism, Lied, Song

cycle, Tone poem, Ide fixe.)

N5 Structural Rondo A B A C A. A form where the first section (A) comes

back between contrasting sections.

N3 Structural Round Each part sings or plays the same melody entering

one after the other. When they reach the end they start

again, e.g. Frre Jacques.

N5 Rhythmic Rubato A rhythmic give and take in a phrase allowing more

expression.

N4 Melodic Scat singing Nonsense words and sounds are improvised by

the singer. Sometimes the singer is imitating the sounds ofinstruments. Used mainly in Jazzsinging. See

Improvisation.

N4 Rhythmic Scotch snap A very short accented note before a longer note.

See Strathspey .

N4 Styles/Forms Scots ballad A slow Scottish song which tells a story.

N3 Styles/Forms Scottish Music which represents the various elements of

Scottish music.

N3 Timbre Scottish dance band A band which plays traditional Scottish

music for people to dance to. The instruments may include

fiddle, accordion, piano, bass and drums.

N3 Timbre Scottish instruments See Folk instruments.


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N5 Melodic Semitone Half a tone, e.g. C to C#, or the distance from one

fret to another on a guitar. See Tone.

N3 Melodic Sequence A melodic phrase which is immediately repeated at

a higher or lower pitch.

AH Styles/Forms Serial A 20th-century method of musical composition

invented by Schoenberg in which the twelve notes of the

Chromatic scaleare organised into a series or tone row.

This row can be transposed, inverted or played in retrograde,

and forms the material basis for an entire work or movement.

See Tone row, Retrograde, Inversion and Atonal.

N4 Rhythmic Simple time TheBeatsubdivides into groups of 2 or 4. See

Compound time.

N4 Rhythmic Simple time groupings The beat is not dotted and can be

subdivided into multiples of two (e.g. 3/4 = three crotchet

beats in a bar and each beat can be divided into two

quavers). See Compound time.

N5 Timbre Sitar A plucked, stringed instrument from India. In addition

to melody strings, it has a drone and strings which vibrate in

sympathy with each other.

N3 Rhythmic Slower The speed decreases. Compare Faster.

N3 Timbre Softer The sound level decreases. Compare Louder.

N3 Structural Solo One instrument or voice. (Extended definition A

prominent instrument or voice can be solo even when part of

a larger ensemble.)

H Styles/Forms Sonata A work for solo piano, or a solo instrument

accompanied by piano, in three or four movements.

H Structural Sonata form Sometimes known as first movement form. This

term is used to describe the structure of the fi rst movement

of many sonatas, symphonies and often overtures. It falls

into three sections: exposition, development and

recapitulation. The exposition introduces two contrasting

themes in related keys. These are developed and heard again

in the recapitulation, this time in the same key.

N4 Timbre Soprano (voice) The highest female voice. See Alto , Tenor

and Bass.

H Styles/Forms Soul A style of Afro-American popular music including

elements of blues and gospel and conveying strong emotions.

See Blues.


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AH Timbre Sprechgesang A technique used in vocal music where the

singer is required to use the voice in an expressive manner

half-way between singing and speaking. It appears in a

number of pieces by Schoenberg and Berg (early 20th

century).

N3 Timbre Staccato The notes are short and detached. Compare Legato .

N3 Timbre Steel band A West Indian band whose instruments are made

out of oil drums called pans. The top of each drum is

hammered into panels to make different pitches.

N3 Melodic Stepwise Moving up or down between notes which are next

to each other. Compare Leaping.

N4 Styles/Forms Strathspey A Scottish dance with four beats in a bar andusually featuring the Scotch snap.

AH Structural Stretto Where voices or instruments enter very quickly one

after the other, as in Fugue. Each entry or part enters closely

after the previous part, thus adding tension and excitement.

N3 Timbre Striking The sound is produced by hitting the instrument.

N3 Timbre String instruments Instruments whose sounds are produced

by making the strings vibrate. See Strings. Other string

instruments include guitar, harp, banjo, mandolin and lute.

N3 Timbre Strings The orchestral family of instruments which has

strings, e.g. violin, viola, cello and double bass. The sound

is produced by dragging a bow across the strings or by

plucking them with the fingers.

H Style/Timbre String Quartet a musical ensemble/group of 4 string players,

usually 2 violins, a viola and cello.

N5 Structural Strophic A vocal/choral composition in which each verse hasthe same music.

N3 Timbre Strumming A finger, fingers or plectrum are drawn across

the strings of an instrument, usually guitar.

H Structural Subject The main theme in a composition, the main themes

in sonata form, or the main theme on which a Fugueis

based.

N4 Styles/Forms Swing AJazzstyle which started in the 1930s. The numbers

and types of instruments in the big bands increased during

this period, through the influence of swing.

N5 Melodic Syllabic word setting Vocal music where each syllable is

given one note only. Compare Melismatic word set ting.


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N5 Styles/Forms Symphony A large work for orchestra usually in four

movements. (Extended definition In the Classical period

the movements were normally fast, slow, minuet and trio,

fast. )

N4 Rhythmic Syncopation Strongly accented notes playing off or againstthe beat.

N3 Timbre Synthesiser A keyboard instrument which can create new

and unusual electronic sounds.

N5 Timbre Tabla Two Indian drums tuned to different pitches and often

used to accompany the Sitar.

N4 Timbre Tenor (voice) A high adult male voice. See Soprano,Alto ,

Bass.

N4 Structural Ternary A B A. A form where the first section is always

repeated at the end. See Binary .

N4 Melodic Theme A clear recognisable melody which is the main idea

for a composition or section of a composition. It can be the

basis of a longer piece of music, e.g. theme and variations.

N4 Structural Theme and variations A theme is heard and then repeated

with some kind of variation. See Theme, Variation.

H Rhythmic Three against two One line of music may be playing quavers

in groups of two whilst at the same time another line of

music will be playing triplets. Other note values can be

similarly used. See Cross rhythms.

H Structural Through-composed A vocal/choral composition in which

there is little or no repetition of the music.

H Harmonic Tierce de Picardie The final chord of a piece of music in the

minor key is changed to major.

H Rhythmic Time Changes When the time signature changes within the

same piece of music e.g. 4/4 to 3/4.

N4 Harmonic Tonality The key. See Major, Minor.

N5 Melodic Tone Two semitones, e.g. C to D, or the distance between

two frets on a guitar. See Semitone.

AH Melodic Tone row An arrangement of the twelve notes of the octave

which forms the basis of a composition. Each note is as

important as another; there are no important notes such as

the tonic and dominant. The row can also be used in

inversion or retrograde. See Serial.

H Timbre Tremolando Trembling, quivering. See Tremolo.


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H Timbre Tremolo Term for the rapid up-and-down movement of a

bow on a stringed instrument creating an agitated, restless

effect. The term also describes rapid alternation of two

different notes at least a 3rd apart played on piano, strings or

wind instruments

N5 Melodic Trill Rapid and repeated movement between two adjacent

notes.

H Rhythmic Triplet Three equal-value notes within one beat.

AH Melodic Turn Four notes which turn round the main note with the

note above, the main note, the note below, and the main note

again. An inverted turn starts with the note below reversing

the process.

N3 Structural Unaccompanied No other instrument(s) or voice(s) sounds.

Compare Accompanied.

N3 Structural Unison Two or more parts or voices sounding at the same

pitch.

N4 Harmonic Vamp A rhythmic accompaniment with a bass note played on

the beat and a chord off the beat. Usually played on piano or

guitar.

N4 Melodic Variation When the main theme is developed, perhaps by

adding extra notes. It may change from major to minor or

vice versa, changing harmony, rhythm, time signature, or

move the theme to the bass, etc. See Themeand Theme and

variations .

N3 Timbre Vocal Sung.

N3/4 Timbre Voice The human instrument used to speak or sing. See

Soprano, Alto , Tenor, Bass .

N5 Structural Walking bass A moving bass line with notes usually of the

same value. It often moves by step, but not always so.

N3 Styles/Forms Waltz A dance with three beats in a bar in simple time.

N5 Styles/Forms Waulking song A rhythmic song sung in Gaelic by the

women in the Western Isles of Scotland while they

waulked the woollen cloth to soften and shrink it.

Sometimes the singing is led by a soloist with a response

from the rest of the women.


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N5 Melodic Whole-tone scale A scale containing no semitones but built

entirely on whole tones. Debussy used the whole-tone scale

in some of his pieces which were influenced by

Impressionism. SeeImpressionist.

N4 Timbre Wind band A band with woodwind, brass and percussioninstruments playing music composed for the concert hall

rather than for marching. SeeMarching band.

N3 Timbre Woodwind Instruments which produce sounds by blowing

across a hole against an edge or through a single or double

reed e.g. flute, oboe, clarinet or bassoon. They need not be

made of wood.

understanding music glossary

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